A tribute to a great designer in Blu e Bianco

I was sad to hear of the passing of iconic designer 

Oscar de la Renta.

Most people thing of him as a fashion designer,

But he was a man of many talents and the fashion and 

interior design world were greatly changed by his contributions.

One thing that showed up in both his interior design and fashion 

 designs was his love for the use of blue and white combinations. 

His years in the Dominican Republic certainly offered him 

many wonderful shades of blue for inspiration. 

This is a design for Century furniture.

In my travels around the design blog world I have come to 

understand and appreciate the great love for blue and white.

So in memory of Oscar, I want to share with you some of 

my favorite blu e bianco rooms! 

I bet this is a bedroom on a beautiful island!

Perfect spot for entertaining!

Lovely and comfortable.

This powder room appears bigger with the use of 

the large scale wallpaper and the washed blue vanity.

Doesn't this collection of plates POP on the green wall.

What a focal point this grouping of blue and white

makes on this entrance table.

A classic blue and white check warms up this keeping room.

If a little is good, more is better. Love the red sea coral!

Did you ever think of blue and white for Christmas?

Why not? 

In tribute to Oscar de la Renta, here are the words of 

Sarah Jessica Parker

and 

a loving tribute from 

Anna Wintour

RIP

More blue and white can be found on my Pinterest page

HERE

source: Hadley Court, Vogue, Hollywood Reporter, Pinterest

Cashiers Decorator Show House 2014

NO you did not miss the announcement of a Blog Break, 

because I didn't know I was taking one! 

Things just got a little chaotic starting in August. 

I left you hanging with the first part of our 

trip to Greece and Turkey. 

But I wanted to jump back into blogging 

with something that was about Interior Design

Some of you have asked about my travels and 

I do promise I will share some more post soon.

Near the end of August, The Touring Gals 

and I hit the road to Cashiers for their Decorator Show house.

This home had the most inviting porches. This was one

of the wonderful seating areas on the front. 

This window box is just one example of the beautiful
flowers inside and out.

This fabulous picture makes you smile as you 
come in the front door! Love the bright colors!

To your left was the dining room which had a very 
eclectic flair. Have you notice how the light 
fixtures these days are like works of art?

The living room was a wonderful gathering place 
to entertain family and friends. 

I would love to have a room devoted to 
flower arranging. My husband would love it too. He gets tired 
of unstopping the disposal after I have used the 
kitchen sink! This one was actually 
part of a mud room/pantry.

The kitchen in the show house was small, but 

had great finishes in the ceiling, cabinets and stone.

The focal point of the living room was the towering

stone fireplace. 

I loved the drapery panels in the living room. I am 

going to use this double banding  on a 

clients treatment very soon.

As you start to the right, back to the master bedroom,
you come to the office retreat. I love the use 
of the white trim with the paneling and the antelope rug. 

The study has the original pickwick paneling.

What a pretty traditional bedroom using a solid upholstered
headboard and the pattern linen for the draperies 
and bedding.

This picture of the bathroom vanity area 
does not begin to show off the fabulous lighting!

Even the four legged family member has a residence
on the master bedroom porch.

Upstairs is a study nook that would also be a 
good reading spot for Mother!

A lovely old fashion guest room. This reminded me
of my daughter's room when she was young.
She doesn't like pink to this day!

Wallpaper is back and isn't it lovely in this powder room.

This was framed upstairs. It is something
we all need to remember as we start 
a new day.

We exited from the living room off  to
this beautiful blue and white outdoor room! 

Here is a side view showing how the outdoor dining area
connects to.... 

... the porch  and wraps 
around to the kitchen door.

Hope you have enjoyed your tour of the
2014 Cashiers Decorator Show house. 
Hopefully now that the craziness of 
September is over, I will be able to 
find more blogging time! 

*September may be over, but football continues 
because Jake's team is # 1 and heading to the 
playoffs! So proud of this little guy!

Source: Lizzy Parker.com, Debbie Jacobs Designs

Come fly~cruise with me...designing a perfect trip!

I love to read. Maybe that is why I love to travel!

Several of my favorite girlfriends and I try to 

plan a major trip every three or four years.

We have just returned from our fourth 

adventure. 2014's journey took us to 

Italy, Croatia, Turkey and Greece. 

After a lot of planning and packing, we made our way to 

the airport and our trip began! This is a shot I took 

as we crossed over the Alps on our way to Venice.

We reached Venice early on Friday morning and 

after getting settled in our hotel, we ventured out 

to do a little shopping. 

Our very first girls trip was to Venice, so sight seeing was not

high up on our list for this trip. Our hotel, Palazzo San Angelo sul 

Canal Grande, see photos and info here

was right on the canal and we enjoyed sitting outside and 

watching all the boats and one very obnoxious seagull!

There were four of us on this trip. (other times we have had six)

This was our sitting area and there were two bedrooms 

with adjoining baths that opened off this room plus a 

balcony area. This was a great boutique hotel and I 

would highly recommend it.

The next morning, bright and early, we headed over to the port to start 

our cruise on the Royal Caribbean's Splendor of the Sea. 

One of my favorite things about a cruise is when we leave or 

enter a port. The views are incredible! We are leaving Venice on our
way to Croatia. 

Most of our traveling was done at night. So when we got 

up on Saturday morning we were starting to see other 

boats as we approached Croatia. 

Our destination was Dubrovnik, the walled city, on the Adriatic Sea coast 
in the Southern part of Croatia. Tourism is the number one 
industry. In the 19th century, celebrities discovered Dubrovnik.
 George Bernard Shaw once said that "those who seek paradise on Earth 
should come to Dubrovnik and find it". To find 
out more about Dubrovnik click here

For those that like to hike and climb or take a cable car ride,
you can go to the top of  Mount Srd. This is looking down
at the walled city. 

There are also areas down near the water for relaxing and dining.

You can also venture away from Old Town and find
beautiful beaches for sunbathing and relaxing by 
the magnificent green and blue water.

We entered the port of Corfu, Greece on Sunday. Corfu is 
known as Greece's emerald island. It is the lushest of the
Ionian group of islands. 

To the east is the mainland of 
Greece and Italy lies only 40 nautical miles to the northeast.
Corfu and the other Ionian Islands were once part of mainland
Greece. Earthquakes caused terrain to sink dramatically, 
resulting in the jagged shores and stunning beaches as well 
as the Mediterranean's deepest waters, at more than 
14,400 feet!

We found a cab and headed up to tour the Achilleion Palace.
This Palace was built in Corfu by the Austrian Princess
Elizabeth of Bavaria. For history and more pictures click here

The extensive grounds at the Palace, with its aromatic gardens and 
classical statues, are the main attractions. 

One of the many beautiful views from the gardens show how
shrubs and trees cover the island. 

After our tour of the Palace we headed back to the town
of Corfu. One of the many local items to shop for in Corfu are 
olives, olive oil, olive wood items, soaps  and kumquats.

After shopping it was time for pizza and a local beer! 

To be continued.....